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Posted at July 7, 2015, by Mackenzie Fant, Comments Off on Brian Forde joins the MIT Media Lab as director of digital currency

Brian Forde, the former White House senior advisor for mobile and data innovation, has joined the MIT Media Lab as director of digital currency. In this newly created position, Brian will coordinate a broad research initiative focused on creating safe, stable and secure digital currencies.

During his time at the White House, Brian was key to creating the White House Tech Inclusion and TechHire initiatives, bringing together a multitude of groups to support the hiring and training of more women and minorities in the technology field. He also held responsibility for determining how the “Obama Administration would leverage open data and emerging technologies to address the president’s national priorities.”

Brian now looks forward to working with the MIT Media Lab so that he can collaborate with the academics, entrepreneurs, governments, and nonprofits to get a “more robust and viable digital currency that could have tremendous benefits around the world.”

“We are fortunate to have Brian join the Media Lab to help organise an important research agenda to get cryptocurrencies right,” Media Lab Director Joi Ito says. “Brian’s experience mainstreaming emerging technologies from the rural mountains of Nicaragua to the White House will be invaluable as he tackles the challenges of digital currency — one of the most promising emerging technologies for the next 10 years.”